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Thu, 24 May 2018 18:10:32 +0000Joomla! - Open Source Content Managementen-gbHotel group plans a push to tradehttp://travelinc.co.nz/content/news/new-zealand/item/5009-hotel-group-plans-a-push-to-trade
http://travelinc.co.nz/content/news/new-zealand/item/5009-hotel-group-plans-a-push-to-trade

Getting the trade more acquainted with the Avani name as well as spreading the word about Minor Hotels’ other brands is a key objective of the sales team in New Zealand. While a significant amount of attention is on the Avani Metropolis in Kitchener Street Auckland, the company is also highlighting a new build project in Wellington, its growing portfolio of Oaks and Avani properties both here and in Australia, and the Anantara collection based mainly through Thailand.

Auckland based Shweta Mhatre, area director of sales, and Amy Armstrong, business development manager say the Avani in Auckland officially launched last November and the key now is to promote the hotel and others in the portfolio to the trade. To this end a roadshow will be held late June in addition to ongoing sales calls. (Details to come in TRAVELinc Memo.) ‘We want to reach the inbounders but also outbound retailers and wholesalers, brokers, corporate travel agents and managers, and government sector meeting planners.’

The new hotel in Wellington will be in the newly earthquake strengthened Colonial Motor Company Building on Courtenay Place. It will have 226 rooms and is expected to open around mid-2019. Avani Metropolis Residences in Auckland, meantime, is right in the CBD, easy walking distance to the harbour (Britomart is 550 metres away, Downtown Ferry terminal 650 metres), and adjacent to Albert Park. The property has its own gym and swimming pool, while numerous cafes, restaurants and bars are a couple of minutes walk away.

First timer at TRENZ, inbound group tour operator Manaaki Adventures NZ is a real-life manifestation of turning passion into reality. The company was co-founded by Kiwis Hemi Coates and Dan Meade, both ex PE and outdoor education teachers who decided to turn their love for teaching and the outdoors into a business, while also spotting a gap in the market for quality inbound rugby tours.

‘We spent years organising trips for New Zealand students as teachers before we decided to move into the tourism space,’ says Meade. ‘It’s something we are both really passionate about, so to be able to turn that passion into a career and share that passion with students is really cool.’ The adventure tour side of things encompasses bespoke itineraries, whereby Manaaki works with the international school groups to decide what works best with them. ‘We give them an idea and examples and then work with them to piece it all together. It’s customised to suit so depending on time and budget we can do whatever,’ explains Meade.

As well as adventurous activities like hiking, luging and rafting, groups also get to experience Maori culture too. ‘We head to Hemi’s marae in Whakatane where they eat, sleep, learn waiata and haka and also visit a local school. It’s a full immersion experience and we try to intertwine as much tikanga and Maori practice throughout the tours as possible,’ he explains. Manaaki also organizes group rugby tours (for rugby teams of any age) to New Zealand, aligning with partners like Crusaders rugby to help make it all possible. ‘The rugby tours idea came from an inquiry, we saw a gap in the market and it all basically just built up from there,’ says Meade. The tours incorporate things like specialised coaching, strength and conditioning, rugby games, nutrition and some Maori culture too.

Tourism New Zealand aims to grow the visitor spend in the regions by $1 billion per annum (from 2023), and has also announced changes to its 100% Pure Tourism New Zealand brand. ‘Tourism New Zealand will help regional tourism grow by $1 billion per annum more than current numbers by developing, implementing and promoting strategies that are inclusive of our regions as well as the gateways that connect them to the world,’ says Stephen England-Hall, chief executive. ‘Over the coming months Tourism New Zealand will source and share new valuable visitor insights with industry and government to guide decision making and identify opportunities.’

There will also be a brand refresh for TNZ. ‘The brand is incredibly successful, showcasing the country’s landscapes and scenery and has worked because it reinforces the key reasons visitors choose New Zealand,’ says England-Hall. However, he says what it doesn’t do is showcase New Zealand’s people and culture, their way of being and the warm welcome they extend. ‘This is what we know stays with people after they have visited, and becomes the essence of our brand that people share and talk about long after they return to their country,’ he says. Tourism New Zealand is working with Māori Tourism and will talk to a range of stakeholders over the coming months to incorporate people and culture into New Zealand’s tourism brand. ‘Our people and culture are diverse and multifaceted and we need to make sure we capture this authentically and deliver something Kiwis will embrace,’ he says. ‘It’s very easy to screw up so we’re taking our time to make sure we are doing it right.’

Speakers explored a number of opportunities that could up visitation to New Zealand, especially in the low season, when The Auckland Airport International Travel Summit 2018 was held in Dunedin yesterday ahead of TRENZ. Kiwi broadcaster Alison Mau opened the event, with Scott Tasker, GM of aeronautical commercial at Auckland Airport one of the key speakers who touched on change, and the different ways the industry can navigate it.

‘Since 2016 we’ve had seven new airlines arrive on our shores and have seen 16% capacity added. Global air tracffic has grown by 60% in the last 10 years too,’ says Tasker. ‘The challenge for us here in NZ is to ensure that we continue to get that share of growth. Aircraft technology advancements has been a key fundamental in leading us down the path of that growth and on top of a period of relatively low fuel costs, this has led to a lot of long haul routes being profitable to New Zealand.’ Tasker adds that as a country, New Zealand is also quite lucky because it is an easy place for airlines to launch new services too.

‘We’re doing a great job and have managed to turn around shoulder season. The high season is still growing, but the shoulder season is growing faster,’ he says. However, with all that growth, Tasker points out that New Zealand does continue to underperform in the cooler parts of the year – June to September. ‘Investment in businesses in the tourism industry continues to be impacted by the soft period of the year. These things aren’t easy to solve,’ he says. ‘At Auckland airport it is very much a partnership approach. We all need to grow together if we are going to make this work and New Zealand as a destination is well positioned for that growth.

Flying from the popular West Coast town of Franz Josef, jumpers are able to freefall from 19,000ft above the Westland and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Parks which form part of the Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand

World Heritage Area.

The Skydive Franz Joseph operation adds Skydive staff to the INFLITE team and Pilatus PC-6 Porter to the fleet of ski planes and helicopters currently operated across INFLITE’s base network.

The Pilatus Porter joins its two sister ships which are currently operated from their Aoraki/Mt Cook base – a 20 minute flight away.

INFLITE is not planning any changes to the team or brand as part of the purchase but Skydive Franz will gain the benefit of the additional sales, marketing and operational support.

In further support the owners, James Meldrum and Craig Clark, will be staying on with the business in their current roles.

A need to keep up with the fast changing business environment has been identified as a crucial factor if travel agents wish to remain relevant and successful. Margot Dow, who is a finalist in the best Travel Agency Manager – Corporate category of the upcoming National Travel Industry Awards, says it is critical for the industry to keep well informed on products such as Uber and Airbnb.’

‘This means we are best placed to give educated advice on how clients can incorporate and manage these share economy services - the risks and legal implications.’ Wellington-based Dow, of APX Travel Management, says a key challenge for a corporate travel agency is the integration piece – ensuring products chosen are offering the best solution for the customer’s specific requirements. ‘There is a greater focus than ever before on technology and innovation, particularly in regards to mobile devices and expense management solutions.’ Dow says keys to success in a travel management company include energy, a strong work ethic, resilience, teamwork and a sense of humour. She says she enjoys the challenge of the industry. ‘No two days are ever the same. Travel is a dynamic industry filled with hard working individuals who embrace change, and best of all we have a lot of fun along the way.’ Emily Johnson, House of Travel Whangarei, is in the running for the Best Rookie of the Year title. She entered the travel industry as a leisure consultant two years ago, with no previous training or experience, after taking the plunge and leaving her ‘safe place’ at an accountancy firm for seven and a half years. ‘A few of my tips for success would be to know your point of difference as a consultant and be confident, build a strong rapport from the first point of contact and listen to your clients and provide them with what they are after.’ She says travel consultants don’t know what part of the world they will be taken to – which makes it exciting. ‘The best holidays are created together and I love that I am able to help my clients plan a holiday to best suit their needs. ‘Hearing all the memories clients have made while they are away really shows that I am doing my job well and gives me huge satisfaction.’ • This is the second of our series interviewing finalists in the upcoming NTIA.

Fuzion Travel has signed a new long term lease on premises in Dominion Rd, Auckland, with the move coming on the back of what the company describes as ‘rapid growth’. Stuart McKay, director of Fuzion Travel, says the company now has affiliates / brokers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wanaka and Dunedin.

‘We are continually looking to provide opportunities to like minded industry people who are wanting to work with one of the most supportive, if not a little quirky, travel businesses in the country,’ McKay says. He recalls himself and Andrew Parke starting in September 2013 in a room above a garage in Mt Wellington. ‘We’re now one of the top producing World Traveller stores,’ he says. McKay points out that travel industry identity Graeme Moore has a share in Fuzion, providing an integral governance role and strategic direction. ‘We’re definitely a broker business (we call them affiliates) with strength in Auckland where the affiliates can come and go as they please – have a desk and work as a team with no cost to them,’ says McKay. ‘Our other main hub is Queenstown, where we work with Toby Stanton and his Frankton team brokering through us.’ McKay says Fuzion is looking for more affiliates. ‘We’ll take people from anywhere – Kaitaia to Bluff.’

Getting the trade more acquainted with the Avani name as well as spreading the word about Minor Hotels’ other brands is a key objective of the sales team in New Zealand. While a significant amount of attention is on the Avani Metropolis in Kitchener Street Auckland, the company is also highlighting a new build project in Wellington, its growing portfolio of Oaks and Avani properties both here and in Australia, and the Anantara collection based mainly through Thailand. Auckland based Shweta Mhatre, area director of sales, and Amy Armstrong, business development manager say the Avani in Auckland officially launched last November and the key now is to promotethe hotel and others in the portfolio to the trade. To this end a roadshow will be held late June in addition to ongoing sales calls. (Details to come in TRAVELinc Memo.) ‘We want to reach the inbounders but also outbound retailers and wholesalers, brokers, corporate travel agents and managers, and government sector meeting planners.’ The new hotel in Wellington will be in the newly earthquake strengthened Colonial Motor Company Building on Courtenay Place. It will have 226 rooms and is expected to open around mid-2019. Avani Metropolis Residences in Auckland, meantime, is right in the CBD, easy walking distance to the harbour (Britomart is 550 metres away, Downtown Ferry terminal 650 metres), and adjacent to Albert Park. The property has its own gym and swimming pool, while numerous cafes, restaurants and bars are a couple of minutes walk away.

Ten top performing agents from around New Zealand took off recently on a ‘supertour’ that includes castles, cathedrals, caves and cuisine around Europe’s hottest destination. Participants are the top performing agents across the Globus Family of Brands that includes; Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways.

A spot on the ‘supertour’ has become a hotly contested ticket and this years’ agents represent the best in the business from Orewa to Dunedin. The 10 agents were accompanied by two Globus Family of Brands hosts from New Zealand and met up with 20 of their Australian counterparts when they touched down in Zagreb. The tour took participants on a 13-day tour of Croatia and Slovenia that took in the magic of this region that is steeped in history, culture and spectacular scenery.

Globus Family of Brands NZ general manager Troy Ackerman says that with the huge popularity of Croatia as a travel destination, it was no surprise that it was a strong contender for this years’ Supertour destination. ‘Croatia is now in our top 10 European destinations and has seen extraordinary growth across both the Globus and Cosmos brands for 2018 and we’re excited to be taking our top performing agents to experience this stunning destination first-hand.’ ‘The qualifying period for ‘supertour’ 2019 has begun, so for agents wishing to get on board for next years’ destination, now’s the perfect time to start getting your bookings in.’

Localyokl, a curated online platform that connects travellers with local guides around Australia for a more immersive and personalised travel experience, has just announced a New Zealand expansion within the next six months.

‘Our Kiwi cousins are renowned for their adventurous spirit and doing things differently. New Zealand is hearing the demand for more local, unique and immersive experiences by travellers and we see locals helping deliver on that demand,’ says Azra Alagic, co-founder.

Localyokl came to fruition because Alagic and co-founder Gary Waldon struggled to find authentic, immersive experiences in their own travels, away from organised group tours. The move into the Kiwi market, Alagic says, is helped by her and Waldon’s love for the country.

‘We’ve spent many a holiday exploring this beautiful country and we can’t wait to showcase it to the rest of the world with the help of New Zealand locals,’ she says. ‘Over the next six months we’ll be calling for New Zealand locals to sign up to localyokl so they can start showing the hidden gems from their cities/towns to travellers.’ Localyokl has already established itself on the Gold Coast and has launched experiences in other states too.

‘When travellers come on an experience with one of our locals they always leave saying it was the best experience they have ever had and they would always travel with a localyokl in the future.’ But how does it all work?

Alagic says its quite simple, really. ‘Our guides sign up for free, create their unique experience, nominate their available times and set their own price. Once they go through our approval process, which includes a security and quality check, their experience goes live,’ she explains. For travel agents, the company has set up an affiliate programme to work with localyokl so that they can sell the experiences too. ‘It’s a simple sign up process with direct booking capabilities and at the end of the month they get commission on experiences they have sold,’ adds Alagic.